Sunday, 7 December 2014

“Turning the Ship Round”I watched a video of how US naval captain David Marquet turned around performance on his submarine in a major way. Here is what I learned:- Get people to THINK. 150 THINKERS are better than 1 THINKER (the leader) and 149 DOERS.- Give away control - let your staff find the answer. Think of parenting. Your child has to make mistakes to learn how to walk, talk or ride a bike.How do you give away control?

Literally sit your staff down in your chair and get them thinking

Fast-forward 6 months from now. With benefit of hindsight: what decision would you make/would you have made, looking back?

How much progress have you made - NOT - have you done everything?

If I weren't here, what would you do?

- Change your tone – start to say “I intend to". Don't say "THEY ", say "WE”.- You must have complete trust in your staff. Tell them, “I believe that you’re doing the right thing.”In today’s world, you have many successful organisations who adopt this style. And many more could become even more successful by giving away control.In the end, I learned that you will find your organisation, your job and your life most fulfilling if:- You are who you are- You follow your passion- You take a few risks- You make a few mistakes (hopefully not serious mistakes!)- You let go of control.- You learn and continue to learn!My thanks go to:-http://www.davidmarquet.com/

What do you think "THIS" is? "For the purposes of this Act, [THIS] shall be defined as the artificial structure designed to store water for recreation, sports, therapeutic purposes or regular bathing. It also includes water tanks, related facilities, such as changing rooms, toilets, sinks, showers, diving boards, starting platforms, engine rooms, secondary facilities and integral spaces."If you are still wondering, I'll put you out of your misery. It's just a swimming pool! Of course, this definition comes from the Colombian Department of Health's guidelines for public safety. They could have saved some time and used a Spanish dictionary : "..a pool used for bathing, swimming, water sports or other exercises.". However, it does raise a wider question. Why don't we use plain language to describe and define simple ideas? Don't get me wrong, technical vocabulary has its place. It's absolutely fine to use medical terms if you are addressing medics. If however, you are writing for the general public, then you will get a better reaction if they understand what you are saying. Sounds almost too obvious, doesn't it? As an accountant, I have constantly dealt with technical vocabulary. Finance gets a bad press, and rightly so, as a recent survey pointed out : http://www.thecourier.co.uk/business/news/firms-urged-to-cut-financial-jargon-1.636495One startling fact: 81% of the British public believe that financial institutions fail to communicate clearly. That leads to problems when making decisions about money.In our lives, we have to read finance documents such as credit card agreements, loan applications and bank statements. Sure, we can improve our own finance knowledge, but it would help us a lot if the finance industry made life simpler. We can only point to complex mortgage agreements. They were partly blamed for causing the credit crisis, since home owners could not understand what they were signing. How do you write in Plain language?Here are a couple of simple tips from the Campaign for Plain English :- Keep your sentences short (15-20 words at most)- Use active verbs (“you pay ...” instead of “this will be charged for a fee of...”) Don’t forget the benefits too:- Clear communication helps readers understand, make better decisions and actually saves your organisation money. - It is easier to translate into a foreign language :)Do you have an example of a sentence which is plain nonsense? Send it to me and I’ll help you understand the meaning!

Sunday, 31 August 2014

Everyone by now will have heard of the "Ice Bucket Challenge". For those of you unaware or in the know, but with your heads buried blissfully in the sand, this involves:

- pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over yourself

- filming yourself and uploading the clip onto social media

- nominating three others who should take part in the same challenge within 24 hours

- making a charitable donation to the ALS (http://www.alsa.org/)

This craze has gripped the English-speaking world.

What about in the French and Spanish speaking world?

* Leading French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday rose up to the challenge, nominated by fellow actor Tom Cruise* Diva Shakira carried out the challenge alongside her boyfriend and Barcelona footballer, Gerard Piqué* Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto turned down the challenge, however, made a donation to the ALS.

While the idea is brilliant and the cause is deserving with $100 million raised so far, this is as much an awareness campaign as it is fundraising.

So I invite all of you to read some facts here about the ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or better known as motor neurone disease):

The inevitable return to work and the many unanswered e-mails after a period of bliss on vacation often inspire fear and needless anxiety.

Some work through these e-mails the night before they return, easing their first day in. Others just plough through the first morning back, thus obliterating the benefits of two weeks away. A few cunning foxes may claim to be back a day or two later than they really are, thus managing expectations and workloads.

But very few will select their unread e-mails, close their eyes and hit the delete key, pretending that the whole working world stopped whilst they were away.

Actually, a similar approach has been advocated by a German company, as outlined in this article:

* Accelerated learning - even one week of a language course equates to three months of language classes at home

* Teaching by a native qualified language instructor - classes are taught in the local language, so you expose yourself to the exact pronunciation. You also receive useful tips in the local customs.

* Meeting new friends - most students in the class are in the same position as you. Together, you can explore the city, have a meal or take part in a local cultural activity.

* Combining languages with holiday activities - have your classes in the morning, and do your sight-seeing, surfing, siesta or flamenco show in the afternoon and evening. Most schools offer some sort of extra-curricular activity. If that’s not for you, you can always look up a local wine-tasting session, a cookery class or a dance lesson.

* Interacting with the locals - this is possibly the most rewarding experience about the language course. You will impress the locals no end by using your noggin more than your phrase book.

So when you book your next holiday, pick up your lingui-sticks and make it a language course!

1) The UK's education system has failed to produce language skills to meet employers’ growing demands

2) Two-thirds of surveyed firms prefer workers with language skillsThe first point has widely been acknowledged. You can only point to the number of overseas workers who have filled vacancies requiring a second language. However, employers should recognise that there is a lead time of up to 15 years, between investment in language education and when these benefits will be realised in the workplace.

On the second point, I am encouraged to see the high percentage of employers who value language skills. Remember in my previous article, employers were crying out for “technical, oral communication or literacy skills”. It seems almost too obvious that language learning encompasses and develops all these skills through listening and speaking, reading and writing. Languages should therefore be taken as seriously as English, Maths and Science in the curriculum.

I am more upbeat than the CBI’s assessment about the future of language learning. There are already encouraging signs in the increased number of students taking languages at GCSE level. In addition, the compulsory age to learn a foreign language has reduced from 11 to 7 and this should also have a positive effect in the future.

But for now, employers cannot afford to wait another 10-15 years to tap into future talents. The opportunities in emerging markets are happening NOW and if employers want to capitalise, they will have to invest more NOW in language training for their staff.

A few people have asked me whether it
is worth carrying out voluntary translations and I say it's a
definite yes! Especially starting out, it is a great way of
expanding one's portfolio and gaining recognition for your work. And
remember: a voluntary translation does not mean a low quality
translation.

I recently worked on a translation of
the award-winning project, "SmileUrbo", led by
Smilemundo.org. It is an interactive, role-playing game which aims
to build cooperation between people by creating scenarios faced by
real-life communities, such as how to manage a town's budget.

The Spanish source text was different
to any other I had already translated. I had to translate the
document in sections, according to different rounds of the game, rather than the usual article with continuous prose. However - the
approach wasn't any different - "live the text", get into
the shoes of a town planner and then translate!

The article cites a recent survey
(http://www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/employer-skills-survey)
in which language skills are less sought-after by UK employers than
other skills such as technical, oral communication or literacy
skills. However, there still is a shortage and this does need to be
addressed.

In my professional career, staff from
other departments have approached me countless times as the in-house
language expert, when translating business correspondence. Indeed I
have enjoyed helping out, though when I am not around staff either
use an online language translator or if absolutely necessary, a human
translator.

Later on in the report, increased
operating costs and outsourced work are listed, among others as the
impact of skills shortages.

So while I would love to see language
skills feature higher on the agenda, it appears that there is an
opportunity for external translators like me to pick up this business
and benefit from the language skills shortage.

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Travelling through Germany, I happened across this sign in the hotel bathroom.

Can you spot the mistake?

While I confess that I am a stickler for good spelling and grammar, I am more understanding if the final message is clear enough. However, I would point out an error if it leads to a different meaning or if it's just plain nonsense.

So I followed the sign to the letter and I placed my towel "in the bath-tube" (or technically speaking, on the shower tube).

I politely pointed this out at the reception as a helpful suggestion and added, "By the way, I'm a translator. Here are my contact details - you never know when you might need one."
The receptionist seemed slightly bemused, laughing nervously but thankful.

And who knows, while a business deal would be a plus, I feel that I have helped the English-speaking hotel guest with that first-world problem of where to put the used bath towel if it needs to be washed.

Sunday, 16 March 2014

So it's only been eleven
days since the first blog post. I feel that there's a book in me. If I
were a sportsman, I would already be on the phone to my ghost writer,
asking about the progress of the requisite “My story so far”
autobiography.

However, I felt like the
cat who got the cream, when I translated and had published my first
article. I applied speculatively to be a volunteer on
www.cafebabel.com. This is a
popular online magazine , published in six languages, with articles
covering stories from Europe and further afield.

The assignment:
translating a highly interesting article in Spanish about cinema
clubs in Tunisia. It seemed daunting at first, however my approach
was to “live the text”. I imagined that I was an activist in the
1990s, hiding out in the darkened projection rooms from undercover
agents. And from that, the meaning would follow.

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Well, I once dreamed of running a language business from a young age. At school, I first noticed a knack for languages when my friends started to call me "The Walking Dictionary". Since then, languages have formed a part of my daily life.

In 2002, I upped sticks and worked as an English teaching assistant in a French school. It was in the town of Saint Claude, nestled in the Jurassian hills where I truly learned French. I picked up on the French's appreciation for Wine, Cheese, Skiing, the French language and Politics. And, sticking to these topics of conversation earned me at least 25 hot dinners with the locals!

Fast forward to 2006, where I was bitten by the language bug on holiday. Although it was only a week-long trip to Seville, little did I know that would give a major boost to my Spanish. In the heart of Andalusia, it was an unforgettable week with fellow language students and a chance encounter with the Spanish striker's José Antonio Reyes at Seville airport. Want to know more about this meeting of minds? Just ask me!

In 2007, I was offered a post in the accounting department of a French manufacturing company. I embraced many aspects of local life - the Cathedral, the newly built Media library, performances in the local playhouse and life in the parks, enjoying a Djembe performance until early hours of the morning.

From then, I have brushed up on my Italian in Bologne, improved my German in Berlin and received a kick-start to Dutch in Tenerife. Yes, you did read that correctly! Ask me about it and I'll tell you the story.

In 2009, I joined a leading international auction house in London, looking after the accounting, finance and tax of its European businesses. I use French extensively and have made the most of my position by incorporating other European languages in the job.

Here, in the UK, I am a regular on the language social scene - I take part in language exchanges, language meet-ups and more recently, I joined a local Spanish group in Bedford and a Polyglot group in London.

It was only a matter of time before I founded Neelangues as I step into the pool of an exciting new business. COME JOIN THE JOURNEY!For those of you who use Twitter, come follow me on:@Neelangues Thank you to all my followers!